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Soldier F finally bites the bullet! Headline reads PC era ends with sticky subject...Millenials shocked at behaviour of parents all look to rent in a higher priced burb. Baby thrown out with bath water Euopeans are conducting a thorough search of the soap suds.. Justice finally as paychecks for Civil servants increase ten fold. Men land on moon women head to strip bar. Turkeys sell out one month before christmas, get your daily read right here on your mobile phone...Plus page 3 is now page 28. If you want to send in some hints for tomorrows headlines just vote!

like mike i did several tours from 71-74 for three regular tours we were based at the torpedo factory in antrim deployed to crumlin road jail as strategic response unit we did two other tours digging up border crossings as the troubles escalated and operation motorman breaking up the no go areas , we were in belfast as the bloody sunday riots started and at the time it seemed another step on an escalating war, the army is not a democratic institution troops would have been given the order to fire if they weren’t disciplinary action would have been taken, therefore if orders were given the officers in charge are the ones responsible , but it is not in the spirit of the agreement to pursue only one side of the conflict

For those that don't know, Dave, or Soldier F as he is known, is not being prosecuted for all those he shot, he's not even being prosecuted for all those he killed, he is just being prosecuted for just the two of the four he killed, one who was under a flag of truce and another who was crawling away on the floor having already been shot.

A Few Random Thoughts

I did not join the Army until 75 so was not serving then.

My experience of the paras when I served in Aldershot in barracks close to 2 para was that they where mainly not very intelligent brainwashed teenagers who thought they where invincible. Especially when drunk which was a lot of the time. However most of there senior NCO,s where very nice, sensible people with a difficult job to do. There officers seemed to know they where invincible.

We never hear more than half the facts and the ones we do hear are filtered by someone with an agenda.

Now the media have their sights on a soldier that shot at several people and managed to kill four, this will run for a long while.

That soldiers piers and NCO would have known what he was doing so must share responsibility along with the people who sent in elite forces against mainly unarmed civilians.

Getting shot in the arse may well mean that you are an innocent trying to get away but it could also mean that you have got yourself in too deep and are trying to escape or that you are moving to a better firing position.

Every time this gets dragged up, both sides point the finger at injustices. This will never end unless the north, south and british governments all agree to formally draw a line under it and move on. I can never see this happening. The only other theory which may work was suggested by an old catholic, N Irish friend of mine who was serving in the british navy at the time. Park the fleet of the coast. Bomb it all flat and give it to Wales for a carpark!

If I remember correctly, troops were initially sent in to protect Catholics from Protestant paramilitaries. They were offered cups of tea by Catholic people.

Troops were not the answer to the NI problems ... there is no answer to entrenched bigotry of any kind, be it religious, racial etc. I find it disgusting that when the Good Friday Agreement was being negotiated, this scenario was never discussed. Perhaps it was and the British Government let the troops be hung out to dry, I do not trust British Politicians of any Party, they are all untrustworthy, especially when they want their name attached to a Peace Agreement.

They've chose Soldier F as catharsis, a way of distracting themselves from an unsuccesful Brexit campaign. If anyone has seen Lord of The Flies that is Brits. Though if anyone is of both nationalities by birth or what have you, it may not help you as afterall the issue relates to identity crisis. A nice distraction for otherwise weak leaders, 70'S were a disaster for industry, Global ambitions, Oil reliance etc. Aswell as a lot of spectacles, a big push for nuclear. Then now we reflect on a young prat getting all the pressure on him, and some victim trying to crap out a bullet. Sounds like a nice way for the elite not having to think about themselves as usual. A few short years later Callaghan runs off to the IMF with flag folded in one hand the other hand a begging bowl. English identity of several grades less importance.